Putting pen to paper in a simple modified bullet journal planner system that works for me

I’ve been observing with interest the latest, I’d say, fad of using personal planners. Planners aren’t new. In the 80’s and early 90’s, any fresh young executive worth their salt would clutch in their hand a Filofax, bursting with appointments, cards and papers. Heck, I had one. It cost me a lot of money, and I thought I was the bee’s knees. I was young and ambitious and out to save the world! *cue superhero music*

And then, I grew up and realised that I wasn’t using that expensive white elephant planner sitting on my shelf, gathering dust. Mobile phones evolved from the Nokia 3210 (hands up if you remember the days of tiny monochrome screens and colourful cases!) to the hand-held mobile computers we hold in our hands today. Suddenly, everyone was going digital and ditching the paper. Why carry bits of paper when you can hold it all in the palm of your hand?

But you know, I’m not surprised at this gradual swing back to using pen and paper to keep track of things. I’ve found that despite being fairly digitally savvy, I remember things best when I write them down. Also, having something written on paper doesn’t disappear if the battery runs out 😛

Yet, I sat back as the personal planner craze hit, and many people surfed that new wave. I wasn’t creative. I wasn’t about to stick washi tape and colourful stickers in my planner or decorate it with colourful drawings. I love how people do it and how creative they can be, but I’m just not one of them. I couldn’t quite care what my planner looked like so long as it served my needs – to help me keep track of what I needed to do.

On the advice of a friend, I tried out a cheap ring planner option. It reminded me of my Filofax days, and like my Filofax days, it pretty much remained unused in the end. I just couldn’t get the hang of the different folders and whatnots, and it was bulky, and the rings get in the way of writing. I wanted something simple and streamlined that didn’t restrict my movements.

And I found it, in my personal planner system! 😀

2018 UPDATE: By popular request, I’ve updated this post to show how I’ve kept up and further modified my simple bullet journal planning system to help it work better for me. Read further below.

Caveat: I did not design this system.

I’m terribly disorganized, at the best of times. But when I kicked off 2016, I realised that there was a lot that I had to keep track of, and I was getting distracted by things like emotions and wandering concentration, so I couldn’t keep everything in my head anymore. I needed to write it down.

The planner I use is a very simple and utilitarian Moleskine 18 month Weekly Notebook. I bought this in the middle of 2015 thanks to the recommendation from my friend Lyn at Plannerbug, and although I used it off and on in 2015, I didn’t quite get the hang of it till this year.

It’s the pocket sized Moleskine which isn’t very large, as you can see above, but sufficient for my use, and most importantly, was portable. I could slip it into any bag I carried, and it didn’t weigh me down. The Weekly Notebook has dates on one page, and lines on the other and that’s how this works for my modified version of what is popularly known as the Bullet Journal.

I like having the dates on one page. It allows me to track my week and I just like pre-printed stuff. Don’t make me make my own. I’d make a mess of it, the way I did when I tried out a Midori Travel Notebook style system. Oh yes, I went there! 😛

My Simple Modified Bullet Journal System

Here’s how my modified bullet journal planner system works.

I fill out my appointments and meetings in the dated page. This allows me to keep track of what’s happening when, and what time it is, at a glance each week.

On the lined page opposite, I adopt a pseudo-bullet journal system (you can read about the bullet journal system here, but I find it too complicated for me so I streamlined it). I just draw little boxes with what I need to do in a particular week, as and when they pop into my head.

I put some of the tasks next to the particular day I plan to do it. But in general, there’s no real hard and fast rule to it. For me, this is my weekly to-do list.

As and when I get a task done, I check it off. If it’s something that’s cancelled, I strike it out.

If I haven’t done a task in a particular week, I draw a little arrow and move it to the next week, so it repeats itself until I check it off. I adopted this from the bullet journal system, and it works, because I get so irritated at repeating it, I get it done!

This is basically a very simple system without any frills or any special symbols to remember, and much to my surprise, it’s worked for me. That is, in the sense that I’ve kept to it for almost a month, and I’m actually finding it useful!

I don’t use different coloured pens, nor do I decorate my planner. It’s plain and kept intentionally plain, with just pen on paper. It’s just how I work and I’m not into frills and fancies. Everything goes in there, from my work meetings and appointments, to my blog-related events, and all it does, is help me stay organized (or more organized than usual) through the week. I keep my blog editorial calendar separately as it’s not something I have to refer to often. I didn’t want to have 2 planners, so I merge my work-blog-life, and it’s fine. All I wanted was a system that helped me stay on top of things, and this does.

Having the pre-printed dates mean that if I think of something I have to do in 3 months time, I can just input it immediately, without faffing about. I actually also complement the daily events/appointments with my Google Calender, synced to my phone. But I find I rely on that less now. It serves as a reminder of what I have each day, because on my phone, it’s colour-coded, but when I want to do an overview, I go back to my Moleskine notebook. Ticking off each task for the week has given me immense pleasure and a sense of achievement! Also, once you write it down, you realise that you’ve actually accomplished a lot more than you thought you did!

I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’ve finally found a planner system that works for me! 😀 If you aren’t into fancy planner systems, then this simple one I now use might help you stay a wee bit more organized too 🙂

2018 update

I know this post gets a lot of traction, and I appreciate how it’s helped many of you, who like me, aren’t into fancy design planners, but just want a system that works for your daily life 🙂

By popular demand, I have updated this post to show you the ways in which I have expanded on the ways I use my planner, and how it’s helped me better stay on top of things.

This post was first written in 2016 when I was using the Moleskine Pocket Weekly Planner notebook.

For 2017, I realised I needed something larger to fit the different aspects of my life, so I moved onto the Moleskine Large Weekly Planner with a soft cover. It’s the red one.

For 2018, I moved on to the Leuchtturm 1917 hardcover weekly planner notebook in Medium size. This is the A5 size, I believe.

Moleskine vs Leuchtturm 1917

I started with the Moleskine Pocket but found it too small for me. Moving on to the Large version made me realize that the size was a better fit. I liked the soft cover as well, as it made for portability.

For 2018, I decided to try the Leuchtturm 1917 planner when I realised that they also made weekly planners in the format I prefer – A week on one side, and an empty lined page on the facing page.

I realised that I prefer the paper quality of the Leuchtturm 1917 planner. It feels smoother to touch, and is nicer to write on. I am no snob when it comes to paper or planners, but it felt nice to write on. My only quibble was the size, which is wider than the Moleskine Large Notebook. I like the narrower design of Moleskine. But ultimately for 2019, I went for the Leuchtturm 1917 Weekly Planner again, but this time, in a soft cover. I guess you can say that I’m not terribly loyal to the notebook, more to the design of its content layout.

One more thing to note about the Leuchtturm 1917 is that they sell pen-holders that you can stick onto your notebooks, and that has been a lifesaver for me! I now always have a pen with me, and that is often more important than you realize!

Further modified planner system

I also further modified my planning system with the larger notebooks.

I now section the ruled page side into 4 quadrants. I use my single planner notebook for work, to keep track of what I have to do for the blog, personal errands, and a big part of my life – packages LOL! 😀

In 2017, I sectioned the page into 4 as you see in the picture. There was space at the bottom for notes, and for time/date sensitive events and things to do, I’d write it directly on the date in the planner.

For 2018, I decided to do it differently. I now section my pages horizontally into the same 4 sections, with a narrow section for notes on the side.

What this does is compartmentalize my life further, so I can tell at a glance what I have to do for which part of my life. I find that this helps me stay on top of things better, because some aspects of my life are more important than others.

Once I’m done with a task, I tick it off or cross it off, and if I haven’t completed it, I move it to the following week, so it reminds me to stay on top of things. The method I modified and use hasn’t changed, only how I organize it.

For the notes section on the side, I use that most often when I have a meeting and need to take some notes, or if I need to put down a check list for packing or for groceries. It’s just a little catch-all section that I find quite useful.

I think you can tell from my notebook that I don’t take pains to keep it looking pristine. I cross things out if I make a mistake, or if something falls through. I use different coloured pens if I don’t have the same pen on hand. I don’t baby my notebook. I use it.

And I think that’s what we all should do!

Do you use a personal planner and do you have a system? Do you prefer pen and paper or do you rely on digital planners and your phone?

I’ve gotten on and fallen off the personal planner bandwagon for many years now. Growing up, all I ever wanted was to own a Filofax. When I did own one, I never used it. Now I know, it wasn’t me. It was the system. I had it all wrong from the start, but now I’ve gotten on the right track and rolling along fine! Do you use a planner and if so, what’s the system you use? 🙂

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About Paris B

Paris B is a 40-something beauty and skincare enthusiast with a practical and very critical view of beauty products and the world of beauty. Her mission on My Women Stuff is to deliver clear, honest reviews and facilitate discussions about beauty trends and life, tempered with a healthy dose of humour. Let the buyer's remorse be ours not yours! When not testing the newest skincare creams and lotions, or playing with makeup, find her testing her culinary skills in the kitchen at Chez PB. Read more about us here or leave a comment below or connect with us on social media at Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

I love planners and they have helped me stay immensely organized! I tried for many years to find a system that works for me and after plenty of hits and misses, I now am happy with my system. I was very into the whole decorating thing for some time and even plotted and printed my own planner pages suited to my needs. This year though I have simplified things to a large diary that I purchased which opens flat on my table and helps me see the whole week in one page. It has space also for my to-do’s which is what I like. Although…..after three weeks without any color/stickers/washi/dots, etc…..I’m getting bored!!!

I’ve seen all the decorated ones and I have to say that it amazes me. It looks like it takes a lot of work! I also understand why people do it. Naturally, colour makes everything look far more attractive, especially in something as mundane as planning 😀 I tried that diary system but I couldn’t get the hang of that either! Terrible right? I think what I really needed is something I can carry around easily. That makes it easier for me to keep track of things and to input things as and when I think of them. Maybe stick SOME stickers in your new diary to brighten it up? 😉

Yes, I think your bullet journal looks neat because it’s plain and simple. I never understood how people have a million different coloured markers for their bullet journal! It looks messy and distracting.. at least to me.

I find myself flitting back and forth between using mobile phone and a notebook. I feel like sometimes if I have to quickly note something on mobile out of convenience, I’ll have to go write it down later in the notebook and that slowly seems to be double-effort and quite a hassle! :/

And later on, when the years pass and you’ve to throw your notebooks out due to lack of space, you feel sad that you’ve to throw your notebook away too, since you painstakingly wrote things down neat and tidy!

Anyway, I still can’t figure out if I should do away with a notebook and just stick solely to mobile..

Thanks Nb, I tried the colourful pen method (even bought a pen that has 4 colours!) but couldn’t get the hang of it. Too many colours make me dizzy LOL! I think I’m just a plain and simple black and white gal 😉 I was using my phone for the longest time in the past few years. I just use Google calendar synced to my phone, and input the appointments as and when they come in, so it’s easy to see at a glance. I still do it! But I also transfer it to my notebook – doesn’t take me 2 seconds to. I update when I’m waiting, or when I want a short breather. I tried to use the phone to keep track of tasks, but because you can’t always see them all in one go, I found that I’d rarely open the relevant apps, or even to look at my phone. Also, while I love technology and everything digital, I find that it interferes with my thought process – there’s always something else more interesting on the phone! LOL! But you know what? Go with which ever system you feel more comfortable with – I know of people who are purely digital, and it suits them fine! 🙂

I tried the bujo and really really really wanted it to work for me, but after a few months… nope. The A5 sized moleskin was firstly a little too big and heavy for me to lug around everywhere I went. Secondly, the boxes were too small for my large handwriting. Thirdly, I just won’t remember to jot things down. So now I keep the moleskin for scrawling down notes.

No proper journal/todo systems have worked on my yet. :/ I’m still stuck with this system that’s been kinda working for me so far with a mix of lots of sticky notes, scrap paper and Google calendar. 🙂

The trick I think, is getting the right sized notebook. The pocket sized Moleskines are a good, portable size. A5 anything is just way too big to be carrying around, unless you have a ton of things to write in there. I like GCalendar for syncing appointments with my phone. It keeps it colour coded and it’s good to be able to see everything at one go and figure out what is where. Sometimes, that’s important for me, because I have to transition from blog-mode to work-mode in the same day. A bit schizo hor? LOL!

I’ve failed at fancy planners and what works for me is similar to yours! Two parts, an annual calendar (now my phone) to insert appointments, and secondly, a sheet of paper that I keep on
my desk. On the left side, I list the days and appointments for the upcoming week, on the right side, I list in no particular order, what I need/want to get done. I don’t think too hard when doing the list, may be major or minor tasks. I add to the list whenever I think of something and check off things done. Unfinished items get transferred to the next week, sometimes modified or deleted! I keep the sheets in a file so I can refer to them as needed. It’s worked for me for over a decade!

Nice one Kay and it’s so practical! The not thinking part is the best thing I feel. Sometimes, we think too hard about what we should be doing or are supposed to be doing, then we don’t write it down. Or if we want it to look pretty. Because I choose to not go the pretty planner route, I can scrawl/cancel stuff as I go, and not feel bad about it!

this is great, this year I started to have a to do list type of paper and pen planner. I think a medium size will be the best. I think those big piece of journal that many people raving about aren’t my cup of tea yet plus I think a planner is supposed to help regardless how pretty it looks like. I just use a very regular but hard covered yearly planner from company’s supplier. Moreover, paper and pen planner is way better and fun than the digital type. Writing and use lots of color pen/ pencils is also very soothing.

You are absolutely right! A planner is only as good as how useful it is or can be. No point having a pretty planner, if it is bulky or heavy or just doesn’t suit your needs or work for you. I don’t go the colourful pen/pencil route, but I find that a mix of paper and digital works for me as well. Best of both worlds 😀

Glad to help Isabell 🙂 You know what? The trick is NOT to look for a pretty planner – you’ll never get started! So, get a basic notebook and just start. Once you get the hang of it, if you come across a nice looking planner, you can pick it up and transfer your notes across 🙂

I’ve done the plain book method, filofax, diy planner etc. so far diy planner is the best for me. I can live with the two-ring file hahaha which was frustrating at first. I got my planner from Daiso with refills. Wait.. Change that to planners ? hahaha i’ve been changing the cover file itself so many times but the inserts remain the same.

Im not good at memorising so I find that i need to write everything just incase (for meetings/assignments). I prefer white paper with blue pen yet I’ve got a drawer full of colourful pens ?

But ya know…been looking online… Might just buy the Midori ? to see what the fuss is ?

Ooh did you do a ring binder + folders from Daiso? I contemplated that! But it was just too big for me, because I needed something portable. I find that when I’m out, it helps me stay on track when I have something to refer to, or to plan meetings 🙂 Haha I’m not fussy about pens, thankfully. Not crazy about coloured pens either, so it’s just plain blue/black pens for me (free pens mostly 😛 ) The Midori thing is a whole new kettle of fish! I liked it as a travel journal, which I think it’s mostly for. Doesn’t function as well as a daily use planner because it’s pretty heavy after a while.

I’ve always love planners. But my problem is to keep using them. I’ll write on them for a while and then promptly abandon them. So I gave up purchasing them. Now I prefer Evernote. Been at it for more than a year and I have everything in there. Journal, devotionals, calendar, travel itineraries, notes, etc. Best is I can clip stuff too and scan documents into it.

I tried Evernote too Sesame 😀 But for some reason, I just never got the hang of it, mostly because I couldn’t leave it open somewhere. I can’t deny it’s handy though. I was using it for grocery lists once, and it’s helpful for things like that I feel. Plus, most of us have our phones with us a lot of the time, so we know for sure, it won’t go missing the way a slip of paper will

I love planners! So much, that I don’t use them. HAHAHAHA! Well, I got better after I started working in investment planning, but before that, I just couldn’t use them at all. Silly?
Now, I keep one just as my fitness journal, to log in my workouts, the weights and reps I did, and my progress. And I don’t hog journals anymore 🙂

The irony is that for the best part of my working life, I never used a planner! I mean, I should have needed one, but for some reason, it just never worked out. But I think the primary reason was the size and the concept that I didn’t quite get back then. But now it’s great because there’s so much to juggle, that having it written down helps me stay on track! Good idea too for using it to keep track of workouts and progress. They can fit in every aspect of life – just how we choose to use them, that’s all 🙂

Digital ones work! I still use Google Calendar for tracking my appointments and I like how they’re colour coded so I know exactly what’s happening for which 🙂 My planner now operates also as a to-do list. It’s helpful for me in that regard, because I often forget important things like paying bills 😛

I don’t use the bullet journal system because it’s just way too complicated for me. What I have is checklists. I have checkboxes in my Midori Traveller’s Notebook week-on-2-pages notebook on the things I need to do for the week and day. Love that satisfied feeling of checking the boxes off once a task’s completed!

I use different coloured pens for certain categories. Most of the time, it’s a simple blue. For blog related stuff, I use pink. For home/Janey related stuff, I use green, and so on. It’s easier for me to see what’s happening and what needs to be done at first glance.

As much as I love stickers, I don’t actually decorate my planner until after the week is over. I cannot stand having things cluttering my view on the week. But when it’s finished, then I’ll decorate the crap out of it. 😛

I agree that colours make it easier to categorise the to-do lists. I tried, but because I’m out a lot, I didn’t want to carry a ton of coloured pens so I just stuck to one colour. But yes, it’s so satisfying ticking off a box! Never thought I’d go there LOL

My weeks ate pretty much the same month to month, for example I give private classes and fit on housework etc around that. So I use a double page to write out one week and use that same week for the whole month, just written out once. On the next double page I write extra things that come up and cross them off as I do them. That way I have a whole month to achieve things. I really couldn’t be bothered writing out the same things daily or weekly over and over again. On the other pages I write all the sort of stuff you see suggested on Bj sites, my favorite is birds I see in my garden, I’m up to 30 this month! An most importantly I use the index. I’d never find anything without that. So it’s not exactly a bullet journal, it’s my own version. No pictures, some colour, but it’s mine and I love it!

Nice post! It’s nice to see I’m not the only one who has struggled with funding the right planner.
I, too, had gone to making my own for a year or more. Then I found the Burde Planner. It is spiral bound – a necessity for a left handed person. Each page is a day. My meetings go at the top of each page, to-do’s as they arise, and phone notes full the rest.
I buy the following year planner as soon as it is on the market. The upcoming year is my 4th or 5th.

I like your check off system. I do similar but will definitely incorporate a bit more of it.

I’ve been using the same for 14 years now! The one year I saved and bought something else, I gave up halfway through the year and bought another Moleskine on sale. Your simple system is very efficient. I can’t imagine having to sit and plan and decide on stickers and stuff 😀

Thank you! I’m in my second year of using a Moleskine planner except this year, I opted for a Large version instead of a pocket sized, as I realised I needed the writing space. I can’t deal with the stickers and cartoons either LOL!

I like your system! A while ago I read about a similar one (this guy said he’d been doing it before he heard of bullet journaling) and liked it, but I like the calendar system you have – that extra organization will help when I get off track!

This is a great post. I tried an Erin Condren planner for a year. The layout didn’t work for me, and I am not a planner decorator. I will occasionally use colored pens to denote birthdays and anniversaries and company days off.

I lost my 2016 Moleskine planner, and I’ve struggled eve since. I purchase the 18-month planner for 2018-2019 to get back on track. I use Post-It Tabs for monthly dividers, and that’s helped so much. I wish Moleskine would print holidays on its planners. That would save so much time in having to write them down each year.

I used to have just a simple unbranded planner and a notebook for a journal. Then in 2015, I got sucked into the tornado of traveler’s notebooks, bullet journals, Filofaxes, Hobonichis, stickers and washi tapes and pens and calligraphy and art journals. My spreads were really pretty until…I got tired of them all and thought of simplifying things. I got myself a black pocket lined notebook for my daily tasks and everything I need to jot down just so my 55 year-old mind won’t forget them. And I just ordered a Moleskine 18-month pocket planner like yours which I will use for planning the last quarter of this year and next year. Strange, but I’m quite excited to simplify my life and give more time to being productive beyond decorating my planners and journals.

Thank you for sharing this piece. I should’ve seen this in 2016 and spared my wallet and bank account all the pain they’ve been through. Haha. So many lessons learned though.

Hi Tess! Thank you for your kind comment and I’m glad you found this post useful 😀 That said, at least you have gone through the whole fancy journal phase and scratched that itch, as it were 😀 I think the most important thing is not to be caught up in the prettifying ritual (unless you enjoy it) but to use a planner for what it was intended for – to help you plan and remember things through the day. I hope the moleskine planner works for you! Do note that the pocket planner is quite small, and over the years I’ve found the Large one to be a better size for me. But if you don’t have a lot to jot in your book, and want something handy to tote around, then the pocket size should do 🙂

Yay! Thank you for your sweet reply. I wonder, do you have an updated post about your large planner?

My Moleskine didn’t arrive on time at my sister-in-law’s place where I had it delivered. She’ll be bringing it to me in February next year. Anyway, I’ve been using an A6 spiral bound notebook as bullet journal (my style) and that black pocket notebook. It’s working so far but after rereading this post, I feel like going pocket all the way. Haha. I’ve got 2 more months to think about 2019 anyway. ?

I’ll take some pictures and update it in this post in a week or two, Tess 🙂 Sorry to hear that your Moleskine will get to you late but maybe you could fashion a similar layout with your notebook and see if it works for you? I must say my method is still very rudimentary and not pretty at all haha! I’ll endeavour to have some pictures and notes up asap!